The invention relates to launching software routines in response to messages relating to communications sessions.
Packet-based data networks are widely used to link various types of network elements, such as personal computers, servers, gateways, network telephones, and so forth. Data networks may include private networks (such as local area networks or wide area networks) and public networks (such as the Internet). Popular forms of communications between network elements across packet-based data networks include electronic mail, file transfer, web browsing, and other exchanges of digital data.
With the increased capacity and reliability of packet-based data networks, voice communications (including telephone calls, video conferencing, and so forth) over data networks have become possible. Voice communications over data networks are unlike voice communications in a conventional public-switched telephone network (PSTN), which provides users with dedicated, end-to-end circuit connections for the duration of each call. Communications over data networks, such as IP (Internet Protocol) networks, are performed using packets or datagrams that are sent in bursts from a source to one or more destination nodes. Voice data sent over a data network typically shares network bandwidth with conventional non-voice data (e.g., data associated with electronic mail, file transfer, web access, and other traffic).
Various standards have been proposed for voice and multimedia communications over data networks. One such standard is the H.323 Recommendation from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which describes terminals, equipment, and services for multimedia communications over data networks. Another standard for voice and multimedia communications is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which establishes, maintains, and terminates multimedia sessions over a data network. SIP is part of multimedia data and control architecture developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IETF multimedia data and control architecture also includes other protocols to enable voice and multimedia sessions over data networks.
Although the ability to participate in audio as well as other streaming-type communications over packet-based networks has increased flexibility in how users can communicate, additional features may be desirable. The types of user systems that are available for audio or other streaming-type communications over packet-based networks include network telephones and computer systems that are fitted with audio and video processing capabilities, as examples. In a computer system, the user may be presented with a graphical user interface (GUI) screen in which the user can make selections to make an outgoing call or receive an incoming call. Information identifying the user and relating to the established call session may also be presented in the GUI screen.
Although such features enhance user convenience in establishing and participating in call sessions over a packet-based network, a need continues to exist for additional features that are made available to users in communications sessions over networks.